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As Canadians age or become ill they become more dependent on family members
and caregivers. Inevitably, the responsibilities of their adult children
grow and the need for outside support may become necessary. Fortunately,
a personal support worker (PSW) can alleviate much of the workload placed
on a family while providing companionship, healthcare services and peace
of mind to loved ones.

Emergencies, accidents and even scheduled surgeries can put the elderly
in the hospital for days or weeks at a time. While under the care of nurses
and doctors, these people receive top-notch healthcare, but little thought
is put towards what comes after their discharge from a medical facility.

FROM AROUND THE WEB...

A team led by researchers at
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified variations in a gene that doubles a person’s
risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life. The research
is published online Dec. 11 in the journal
Nature. Over the past two decades, scientists have discovered a number of common
genetic variants linked to early-onset (which strikes before age 65) and
the more common late-onset forms of Alzheimer’s disease. But those
variants account for only a fraction of Alzheimer’s cases.

Sarah Scheffer, 30, expected residents at the retirement home where she
was making a short video to be polished and proper. But what she got was
Mickey Radmore, 94, a man full of fun and great stories, although, he
admits, all not necessarily true. “Mickey made me laugh and cry
more than anyone in a long time,” says Scheffer. “He completely
changed my ideas.”

Darlene Kelley still remembers the brown sweater. She was 11 at the time
and used to hand-me-downs. But this knit turtleneck was
new. It had never kept anyone else warm. The memory of that sweater —
or perhaps her jubilant feelings toward the ribbed garment — explains
in part why Kelley has volunteered with the Santa Claus Fund for more
than four decades.